1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to truck bed covers, and more particularly pertains to a flexible cover for the open cargo area of trucks. The cover is particularly adapted for use with pick-up trucks, but may be formed in various sizes and dimensions for use with large flat bed trucks. A wide variety of truck bed covers utilizing various collapsible and retractable supports are known in the prior art. The present invention seeks to provide an adjustable support system for adapting the height of the cover to accommodate various different cargos and additionally utilizes secondary support members to form a tent for the protection of individuals from the environment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of truck bed covers are known in the prior art. A typical example of such a truck bed cover is to be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,289,346, which issued to N. Bourgeois on Sept. 15, 1981. This patent discloses a collapsible protective cover for a truck bed which utilizes a plurality of supports mounted in truck members for movement between retracted and extended positions along the length of a truck bed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,194, which issued to J. Biller on Jan. 12, 1982, discloses a tent camper for a pick-up truck which utilizes a plurality of pivotally collapsible supports for supporting a flexible cover. Snap fasteners are provided for securing the cover to the truck bed. U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,034, which issued to J. Amos on Jan. 27, 1987, discloses a collapsible soft top for use on pick-up truck cargo compartments. A frame formed by a plurality of girders and rafters is collapsible when an open cargo compartment is desired. The frame is covered by a flexible flap fabric material. U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,956, which issued to L. Bowman on Dec. 1, 1987, discloses a removable cover for a pick-up truck bed which utilizes a plurality of inverted U-shaped frames supporting a windowed vinyl canopy. U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,274, which issued to W. Heath on Apr. 19, 1988, discloses a cap for covering the cargo area of a pick-up truck which includes a fabric cover and a readily assembled and disassembled tubular frame.
While the above mentioned devices are suited for their intended usage, none of these devices disclose a truck bed cover which utilizes a plurality of spaced U-shaped rigid supports, with the forward most and rearward most supports each provided with a secondary pivotal arcuate rigid support bar for supporting a flexible fabric cover. An additional feature of the present invention, not contemplated by the aforesaid prior art devices is the provision of telescoping leg sections on each of the spaced U-shaped supports to allow height adjustment of the flexible cover to accommodate various different cargos. Inasmuch as the art is relatively crowded with respect to these various types of truck bed covers, it can be appreciated that there is a continuing need for and interest in improvements to such truck bed covers, and in this respect, the present invention addresses this need and interest.